In the early morning of August 6, 1889, a German merchant ship docked at the dock on the Thames, and after the German crew explained that it was a gift to the Queen of England, the port unloader carefully unloaded a huge wooden box with a dock crane. And a group of Germans who got out of the boat, who looked like mechanics, opened the wooden box, and inside was a car that the British had never seen before. Of course, they know it's a car, and the first car of the Germans at last year's Munich Fair caused a huge response, and the Eiffel Tower, which is now being opened at the Paris Expo in France, is certainly spectacular, but the Germans' cars also attract a lot of attention. The production car, called the BMW-Volkswagen, costs just £120 and has attracted a lot of people. But the one in front of me is obviously different from that bargain. The long nose, the glossy black paint, the patterned rubber tires, and the British royal insignia on the doors, you can tell it's different.

This is the new 6-cylinder inline petrol engine that makes 40 hp out of the new BMW Daimler DS1 luxury sedan, which is why the DS1 has a long bonnet. Unlike the Volkswagen, which uses regular paint, the DS1 is painted black and then sanded to an exceptionally smooth finish. In order to create a boutique that far surpassed its time, the DS1 was constantly equipped with the car parts that came to mind with shiny steel bumpers, hub trim covers, door pedals, mirrors, and tires with anti-skid stripes. Unfortunately, Jochen's driver's seat and the opposite passenger seat, which Jochen originally wanted to use to reflect his identity, had to return to a two-row four-seater style in order to maintain driving performance due to insufficient engine horsepower. The interior is completely built in the style of the British royal family, and the large royal coat of arms on the doors is full of luxury.

A bunch of technicians, after a series of overhauls and adjustments, filled the car with gasoline. Then a young man dressed in a German royal chamberlain started the car and slowly drove away. The German technicians, on the other hand, began to pack up their tools and then demanded that the wooden crates, supposedly of various spare parts, be unloaded from the ship onto horse-drawn wagons ready to be transported to Buckingham Palace.

The car, depicting the British royal coat of arms, attracted a lot of attention from pedestrians on the streets of London, and its lightness overtook the slow-moving carriage and made passers-by whisper in exclamation. After driving all the way to earn enough eyeballs, the car slowly stopped in front of the gate of Buckingham Palace. Jochen, who had been waiting for a long time, explained to the somewhat stunned Lobster Soldiers (Note 1) that it was a gift from the German royal family to the Queen of England.

Opening the gate and slowly driving into Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria, who got the news, walked to the courtyard accompanied by Prince Edward to receive a gift from her grandson. Queen Victoria was not very interested in the car itself, but was very happy that her grandson had given her such a big gift. Crown Prince Edward, on the other hand, was very fond of this luxurious and modern technology. Crown Prince Edward, who was naturally fond of luxury and enjoyment, couldn't put it down even more after visiting the interior. After receiving the promise that the driver and mechanic would stay in England until a group of students were taught, Crown Prince Edward ordered the driver to change into the clothes of a British royal attendant and take him for a ride. This somewhat frivolous move was stopped by the Queen, who nevertheless agreed that Crown Prince Edward could use the car as he pleased.

The fact that the German crown prince sent a car to the Queen of England was soon known by the major media, and then photos and reports appeared in major European newspapers, and then the Americas across the ocean also got the news. The car craze, which has not yet completely dissipated at the Paris World Expo, has once again been stirred up.

Then the news obtained through various "channels" was published. He said that this was "one of the most advanced, luxurious and expensive means of transportation" in the world jointly created by the German crown prince and the three "fathers of the car" (because the three Benz had already cooperated, so Maybach was also included), and said that Crown Prince Edward was very fond of him and often went out for a ride in the car.

Later, there was "inside information" from the mouth of industry insiders, saying that this kind of car is not mass-produced, but specially customized, hand-built, so the production is limited, only 12 cars can be produced per year, each car has its own number, and the owner of the car can also get a piece of well-made wooden certificate, which details the performance of the car, the materials selected and each process, as well as the unique number. There is also a full-scale car model with exquisite workmanship, which claims that all parts perfectly reproduce the design of the real car, in short, full of gimmicks.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Joachim gave the No. 1 to his father, His Majesty Frederick III, the No. 2 to his maternal grandmother, Queen Victoria, the No. 3 to the German Parliament as a chancellor's car, and the No. 4 for himself, and it is said that the No. 5 will be given to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's father-in-law, His Majesty Franz Joseph I. This will be a real "royal car".

Of course, no one would ignore the gorgeous price of this car, and due to the addition of scattered new designs and various gimmicks, the actual price of the new car was doubled by Jochen, 200,000 marks, equivalent to 10,000 pounds, in an era when 60 pounds was enough to be more relaxed for a year (Note 2). So all kinds of sighs "it's too expensive", "how can anyone buy it", "worthy of royal supplies" and so on. In addition, the attention of automobiles as a new product has been increased.

And the idea of "you can't afford to buy such an expensive one, you can buy a cheap one" was unveiled at the Paris World Expo, and the price of 120 pounds at DMW-Volkswagen was very advantageous, and the average middle class could afford it. The more expensive BMW-Benz S1 costs 8,000 marks, which is equivalent to 400 pounds, which is not unacceptable to the upper class. After learning that BMW would open a boutique in London, the wealthy people in London began to rush to have this new status symbol.

BMW's brand was an instant hit with the royal family's momentum. Jochen could already foresee the advent of the automobile age and the rapid development of the rubber and petroleum industries. Now all Jochen has to do is how to make his cards bigger and better, but mastering the oil and rubber of Nigeria and Cameroon does not satisfy Jochen. Having more resources became a priority, and at this moment Jochen completely understood Wilhelm II's mood of "longing for the land under the sun", the more you have, the faster you develop, and the faster you develop, the more you need to have. Similarly, as an industrial capitalist, Jochen felt his own need and desire for more resources and more markets.

Cars aside. The naval parade was held as scheduled, but this time the Germans only came with an old ship like the King Wilhelm, and the British did not need to come up with the whole family to do anything. Therefore, the scale of this parade was much smaller than that of 1887, but the contrast between the huge 343 main guns and majestic figures of the four admiral-class battleships lined up with the aging body of the King Wilhelm still did not make the accompanying German naval officers happy. Not only did the King William keep naval officers up their heads, but the paddlewheel royal yacht also gave the navies of all the countries in reference a point.

The German naval officers whose self-esteem was hurt have expressed that they want to speed up the implementation of the 1888 naval shipbuilding plan, and these ranks are not low, and the officers who can get in touch with the inside of the naval shipbuilding program have great expectations for their new cruisers and ironclad ships, and the early start of construction, early completion, and early commissioning, the German Navy also has a few treasures that can be used in the field. As these officers desperately exerted their influence after returning home, urging the design progress and preparation work like a rush, and the various shipyards were under the strict supervision of the Admiralty almost like a thief during the construction process, the construction period of the ship was greatly shortened, which Jochen did not expect.

Jochen's uncle, Crown Prince Edward, joked to his brother-in-law that the Hohenzollern was too unworthy of the German royal family, saying that if necessary, it was possible to buy a "most advanced and luxurious" royal yacht in the UK, claiming that perhaps the Germans had built the best car in the world, but the best ship in the world must have been built in Britain.

When the naval officers of the two countries communicated with each other, the German officers deliberately emphasized that the King Wilhelm is currently the largest warship of the German Navy, and most of the capital ships of the German Navy are old, and the latest Elector is still training, and the No. 2 ship, which has been launched and named the Emperor after the ironclad ship sold to Japan, has not yet been completed, and the four Saxony-class ironclads are a little inadequate, and the two Oldenburg-class ironclads that can really take on the big task are extremely heavy, and in the face of the increasingly powerful Russian Navy, The pressure on the German Navy was mounting, and British officers expressed their understanding and support.

Through the spread and temptation of such news, Jochen can be confident that at least until Britain and Germany completely turn their faces, any expansion of the German navy will not cause an overreaction from the British navy, and the Germans only need to hide behind France and Russia, constantly try new technologies in small steps, accumulate thick and thin, and wait for the opportunity to make a blockbuster.

Probably stimulated by his brother-in-law, Frederick III was also determined to build a new royal yacht. However, compared with his father's 3,000-ton small family plan, Jochen said that he has made a lot of money by digging gold now, and he simply paid for the construction of a real "in line with the identity of the German royal family" royal yacht, anyway, the future of the German royal family is also his own, and there is no need to be so clear. Moreover, Jochen is not honestly preparing to build a royal yacht, this new ship Jochen is preparing to do the preliminary testing and exploration of the power system for the construction of larger cruisers in the future.

Note 1: Because the Guards at Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom wear the red uniform that has been handed down, they are still called Lobster Soldiers.

Note 2: Miss Mary Sutherland in The Complete Sherlock Holmes Detective Works (also known as The Missing Bridegroom) earns 30-40p a day for work, or about £60 a year, and says that this income is enough for herself to support herself and spend it properly.